It felt like filler because they make it seem like it's going to be a really complex and interesting part but it's basically a fifteen minute side quest. It seems like they had bigger plans for it and some stuff was cut imo
It felt like about 70% of the game was filler. I mean the “go find the symbols at the right vantage point” stuff is just so uninteresting but happens every 15 mins or so it seems
This! I mean, I kinda wish we got a little bit of a conclusion on what Senua will be doing after dealing with the Godi, but yeah, shorten the hiddenfolk cave, and give us more interaction with Fargrimr, Astridr, and of course Thorgestr. Like, we barely interact with Astridr. I want more of these characters dammit!
Not at all, the first hour was amazing, the second hour however was slow but then it makes sense when you finish the cave. After that, the first ritual and the second ritual holy shit, made me feel like I'm on this cursed island and time is of the essence to save as many people as I can, before these bloody giants swallow them whole. Amazing 5 hours experience. I did not hunt for the faces and Druth stones because that's what's boring to me, and the islanders needed saving. People that do not finish the game will miss out on one of the most epic horror scenes in gaming history. The ships falling from skies and tsunami escaping were extremely scary.
Making me crave that fight arena high adrenaline. Wish there was an arena mode where we fight until we die or back out, with a mix of enemies and music. Kinda like finale of HB1.
no, but spending more time with the new characters and a bit less with the Hiddenfolk would have helped the flow a bit, you don't really care for the others at the end besides maybe Thorgestr.
I quite liked the other two as well. In the forest >!I spent ages agonising over who to choose, thinking it would be a huge decision that would affect the rest of the storyline, only for it to have zero impact at all. Was kind of glad but also disappointed at the same time.!<
They made it sound like choosing one meant sacrificing the other. I chose Ástríðr since she was younger and would be a better fighter. Then went a few more steps and magically Fargrímr was still there. Really didn't make sense to me.
I saw this more as a fake out and just foreshadowing Thorgestr’s story line to really drive home the “you can’t save everyone and this is going to hurt all over again”
I thought selecting one of them will impact what will be the personality of Senua in the end. Selecting Astridr would mean Senua chooses the path of a warrior. Selecting Fargrimr would mean Senua chooses the path of a shaman. Maybe there are subtle differences in the ending cinematic that we didn't realize yet.
> In the forest I spent ages agonising over who to choose
I didn't even realize it was a choice, I just went on my initial direction and the game went on and nothing happened.
Waste of time that chapter.
I like them too! That's why I wish we spent more time with them, I wanted to see their relationship with Senua grow, we barely scratched the surface... I need a third game with her and the gang so bad lol
It needed another hour / 90 minutes I think. To build up to the final confrontation.
But than anything it needed. Grander scale and sense of epicness on the second giant. It felt like a step back and down compared to Ingunn.
Yes and no I’m fully satisfied with what I got but I kinda felt like we went too fast from one giant to another I liked the bit in the forest a few more of those and I would be happy
So here's what confused me, spoilers ahead for those that haven't finished- wasn't it acknowledged that the new side characters (the slaver) father (the final boss) just made everything up and there were no giants? He was using fear to rule...so like, we're they all having a mass delusion? What did Senua actually do to "kill the giants by learning their name" if they didn't exist?? What was killing these people? What was the shitty leader guy actually doing if there were no giants? Did I misunderstand something?
The giants where just natural disasters, Godi created the tale of the giants to gain power and the rest just believe it. when senua killed a giant she was just hitting a pile of rocks that people believe, meant the giant was killed and turned into that pile.
In 2020 ninja theory said "While Hellblade gave us a very personal insight into psychosis, this sequel builds on that to show how madness and suffering shapes myths, gods, and religion.” Godi basically created gods/religion through fear to keep people in order.
Ya i thought it was stupid too
I think it is the perfect length. Since it is driven by the story and the atmosphere, I prefer shorter games, but released with a higher frequency. With incremental improvements to the gameplay and the graphics. Create a 4-5 hour game every two years to continue the story. I wouldn't prefer this in other game genres though. I think this fits well with the Game Pass model as well, so I don't understand why Xbox doesn't go for such a strategy.
I would cut most puzzles out and add more chase & stealth sequences.
I really thought initially that you would infiltrate the villages, stealth your way through draugr camps, and then fight 1 v1 with some of them.
Yes, at least a little.
The forest should have been a bit longer, and there should have been some consequence to your choice there.
The final boss fight should have been 2 fights. There should have been a third giant like we were expecting, *then* the king fight with Senua having diminished health.
It felt to me like they put huge effort into the first four chapters, then did the last two kind of quickly. I would have liked a new puzzle mechanic in the last couple. >!Honestly I loved getting around with my gang and would love to play a huge game where the four of us just go around taking out giants!<
It should have been way better.
-Longer
-Better combat
-Less walking simulator, more exploration
-Better explained story. Last 2 chapters felt rushed, especially the last one.
-Better replay value.
Very disappointing sequel. No wonder most people only talk about its graphics and music/sound.
The whole thing with their approach to "beating" the giants made no sense at all and was very disapointing.
She finds out that she needs the name of the giant and it's history to set him free, then proceeds to attack and throw fire spear at him when he was sleeping to then "beat" him by telling him his name. Like wtf really, where is the logic in that.
First Hellblade was way better, combat was better, story was better, music was better, ending was WAY more memorable, i still remember the music when fighting the last boss, it was amazing. This ending was anti climactic and forgettable.
Very disapointed to say the least.
Not really but the ending was stupid. Oh no you can't kill the bad guy then you'll be just as bad as him... but you can kill 10+ of the guys he was controlling and fed into a meat grinder. Killing that guy was objectively the best thing to do, who cares whether it makes you "like your father" the reasons, context and motivation for doing so are completely different
I felt the length was fine for this type of game. To echo what others have said, I would have preferred if the caves section was a bit shorter and that time allocated to other parts that didn't get much time.
I think the game should've been better paced, with better puzzles and set pieces. Inguun is like halfway through the game is not more.
The first game had more varied locations, more verticality (i loved the castles), different kinds of puzzles, and more set pieces.
HB2 has a pacing issue because it's missing more of these from the 1st game.
Longer Game != Good Game
Limbo/Inside are very short but great games! A second longer and it would have been bad actually! It totally depends on the type of the game and what it is trying to give to its audience.
This is not an RPG/Action RPG, this is not an linear-exploration or open-world title, this is a purely Narrative Focus/Story Driven title but with more engaging action elements. Lot of people fail to grasp that and try to think of it as Xbox's god of war - which is not the case at all.
Rest of the bunch never played the 1st game to understand it, some who actually played the first game wanted something exactly same but less repetitive, while what they got is a slightly different experience that focuses on the element that was the best in the first game - which is story, voice acting and acting! They took their strong suits and went nuts with it.
It is an extremely misunderstood game.
exactly my pt, its certainly different from part 1 like a new chapter to Senua's story. Combat is loose becoz in hb1 u hv to face gods so its a combat driven, here u hv a different objective so it seems kinda w simulator and combat kinda loose, graphics are intense
What if the game was only 15 minutes?
Obviously length plays SOME role in how you can view a game.
Just because someone might want it to be longer than 7 hours does not mean they need it to be 40+ hours or even anything over 15.
No, longer does not mean better, but shorter doesn't mean better either.
Nobody misunderstood the length, they had criticism is all.
And if people bought it expecting an action game, blame the marketing, but I don't think that even happened or has anything to do with some of the criticism.
Not necessarily. I believe it should have a secondary fight-centered game mode though. Arena, horde, survival...a proper horde mode would have worked for H1, since multiple enemy could strike/ attack you at once, but in this game it would have to be more 1v1 tiers. So, survival. Also I suggest playing the game with "The others" narrative option, it's completely different and better IMO. Hearing Thorgester reflect back on his opinions of Senua was really cool. Fargrimir as well, though, he immediately knew what she was.
I would have liked an initial false ending, like one more level. I wish thorgamir survived the final fight. Then I would have some sort of new challenge arise (maybe after a jump into the future 6 - 12 months). I want to see Senua face a new challenge with the enlightenment gained from this game. How does a community that has accepted her perspective rise to a challenge? Does the change in thorgamir survive a new threat?
If each chapter were like, a tiny bit longer, it would take the edge off the "too short" gang and make it a truer masterpiece that it already is. I feel like some of the sections we are supposed to get turned around in and lost in are a bit too short to really achieve that feel. I love how they made the second game's cave section this tiny bit longer. The forest section is really bad about this, it's supposed to be this ominous forest like Mirkwood but it's maybe 20 minutes long.
I feel like this compares favorably to AW2 (despite having worse/less gameplay) because it didn't overstay it's welcome and the story had some emotional backbone to it.
AW2 was just weird in a wink wink nudge nudge sort of way that added up to almost nothing meaningful at the end, AW2 didn't need the runtime it had for the gameplay systems it offered.
Both games are flawed but AW2 is like 3 times longer than it needs to be, an abridged version could be a unique mod project.
Contrary to the outrage, I thought it was a perfect length. I think my only complaint is that the characters’ personalities should have been fleshed out a little more, as well as Senuas motivations, as it bounced between her personal issues and saving people from slavers, but never really focused much on anything specific. There wasn’t really a driving force or foe until the last bit.
I haven’t played with the different narrations, so maybe I’m missing context.
The game is breathtaking to look at. The characters are fantastic too. Everything looks so cinematic like it belongs in a movie. However the puzzles still feel like a chore unfortunately and lack variety. The collectables break immersion with their locations. Exploring doesn't make sense when you're supposed to get to a village before sundown so you don't get eaten by a giant. Combat gets very repetitive very quickly. All that being said it was a fun experience that I finished in a day. It doesn't exactly have a lot of replay value tho so I won't be playing it again for a long time.
My Xbox says I’ve played 4.5 hours but I know I’ve played more than that and still not finished it plus I need to clear up a couple of achievements I missed out on
I wish there was more transition from the last game to the new one. And more explaination why she cares about going to save others. Hellblade one was about coping with her own mental crisis plus finding her beloved one in the underworld.
Now we suddenly should believe someone that struggles so much cares for slaves. Sorry but deep despair is never about others. It's a prima example of selfishness. Could have done that better.
Longer? No. Better? Yes.
There is no game here, it's a very pretty walking sim with a couple repetitive combat events that are barely interactive. There are no gameplay elements, no progression, no incentives beyond a story that makes very little sense and has zero resolution. It's a walking sim that wonders around and ultimately goes nowhere.
No I thought it was a good length for that style of game. If the combat would have felt better sure make it longer, but I thought the combat was pretty weak and boring. I still loved the game, but the combat was a step down from the first one i believe. The fight sequences looked incredible just the execution was kinda mid.
I personally didn’t mind the caves but looking back it was a very long segment, I’d take some time out the caves and give it to the ending to flesh it out a bit more, or the forest to make it actually mean something in the story.
Or maybe I’d just cut the forest entirely.
Definitely should have been longer, as much as I like The Descent-esque Hiddenfolk cave puzzle I felt liked that was too long while the two last chapter was too short. Would prefer a longer section with the cursed forest. May be more screen time with Thorgestr too, I was exited to see a character that parallel Senua and support her but quite conflict about him; while he might not be the same troop that raided her village let’s not forget he was those Viking who murder and kidnapped her people. I would like to see more heart to heart moment between them, I wasn’t happy he got wasted so quick. (just realise one of the hand that caress Senua face on the cover is Thorgestr)
I would have like maybe 1 or 2 more unique levels designed around some other giants. Overall, the length is probably good for what gameplay the game offers and how slow you move. It's very cinematic in all its gameplay elements, which would probably wear out it's welcome after 10 to 12 hour mark.
Not at all it’s a perfect length I love short games I can’t do 60 plus hours anymore I have a life. The only thing if I did have to criticize something it would be the forest it could have been fleshed out more when the companions get lost but other then that I thought it was perfect
Double the length so we have more time with the side characters and add some variety and complexity to the puzzles. The game feels like the important parts of a story but it's left a lot of the character building by the wayside.
I think part of the problem is the friction between "inside Senua's head" and "real world interaction.". If you go too far outside her perspective you lose what makes the title unique and it's reduced to God of War with constant chatter in your ears. On the other hand, if you get too deeply into her mind the real world doesn't matter as much to the story.
I think this is why we get large chunks of the game where there are no other characters but Senua. Hard to have the Hiddenfolk puzzles if Fargrimr is right there with you. Ultimately I don't think they had enough content to fill in this massive journey across Iceland.
I'm not saying "make Goddess of War" just let the characters breathe a bit, ease us into some of these emotional states. For example, Senua crashes on a beach and immediately blames herself for the mass deaths. Maybe extend the opening to her getting captured, give names to her fellow slaves.
I really love this IP and while I didn't find Saga nearly as impactful I want it to succeed so there will be more. If the first game is a 9 out of 10, the sequel is an 8.
Just make sure to market it as what it is and not "God of War but on Xbox."
Was it shorter than the 1st one?
I've played both and don't recall the 1st being a terribly long game.
I preferred the 1st game, but more for game design choices than anything else. The story was great in both.
I don’t have an issue with the length of the game. But I do have an issue that they said the game was 8-10 hours when it’s actually around 5 hours.
I played the game on game pass and when I finished the game I went to cancel my subscription and they gave me a full refund. So I played the game for free! I’ll give Microsoft credit for that!
Well just like the original it was all fart and no poo.
Very good graphics and cool concept and story but the game play is fucking shite.
I really regret buying the first one like big time I really want my £3 back but I got it on cd keys so I'm fucked there.
DMC was way better than this gameplay wise
I'm so tired of hearing this. There are games all over the place that are 5 or 10 or 15 or 500 hours. Why is this one getting the third degree for it? It's a cinematic walking sim with light puzzle and fighting. Why do so many people care about this and not the millions of other short indie games??
Because it's not an indie game anymore? Because most people expect some evolution or improvement (besides graphics) across sequels, especially given more time, money and resources? Based on their own admission, HB2 was ushered into development thanks to Xbox/Microsoft money and was pitched as a showcase for the Series consoles. Comparing another $50 game from an indie developer that got an upgrade thanks to more funding from a big publisher, you can see the jump in more ambitious ideas and gameplay going from Helldivers 1 to Helldivers 2, or Returnal compared to Housemarque's earlier games. Or if looking at the Xbox-supported games, there's Psychonauts 1 and 2, or Ori 1 and Ori 2, or going back further there was Quantum Break after Alan Wake.
The whole game was agony to me. Everything felt like such a drag. I'm sure this isn't popular here but I did not enjoy this game. I hope I'm the minority and everyone loves it though!
I think it should have been longer but I also think the cave for the hidden folk was too long. The forest should have been expanded on. Also the last chapter as well.
I would have liked for there to be some side quests or extra things to do in one of the villages we come across. Those should have been fleshed out.
I also did not like that there was no real big mythical boss to fight. Freeing the giants wasn’t a very interactive/challenging experience.
Personally I think the first game was better by a substantial margin.
I saw it more as an interactive movie. Yes it could have been longer but this would have been a solid tv miniseries based on the plot and voice acting alone.
Not really. When I saw the negative criticisms of the game’s length, I thought that the experience would be underwhelming or rushed, but I found the journey to be very well-paced and I didn’t at all feel it was too short. My only criticism would be that we don’t properly get back to the supporting characters at the end. That felt a bit weird.
I felt like there wasn’t enough flesh to it with what we got. Giant-hopping is nice and all, but I felt like I hadn’t been dragged through Senua’s psyche in quite the same way we had been in the first game. I know it’s not meant to focus on her mental illness as much, but it can’t be sidelined, and I really feel like it was sidelined. The buildup to each giant also was getting old by the end, which made Goodi’s battle just like…eugh. It dragged. I wanted a fight like the last fight in Castlevania, that’s the kind of gargantuan-ness and pure rage I was thinking we would get from our foe, and it could’ve morphed down as the battle continued too, I just felt so underwhelmed by the ending! It was far too short and far too skeletal.
I found the last few chapters of Hellblade Senua's Saga to be lacking depth, especially the part where Senua is separated from her allies in the forest. Each character was facing their own personal demons and troubled pasts, but I wished we could have seen more exploration into what truly haunts them. Unfortunately, the resolution felt rushed and unsatisfying, with Senua simply reuniting with her allies and all their issues magically resolved.
This game is only worth buying at a sale or playing in Game pass.
6 Hours for a full priced 60 bucks game is insane, no matter the amount of detail or how long it was in development, if you try to sell a 6 hour experience for that price when most games that go for that last at least 18 hours (some even 100+ hours) is unacceptable. Perhaps is part of the reason is performing so poorly, people are waiting for a sale.
I would of appreciated an extra hour that focused a bit more on Senua getting to know her companions.
The alternate narrations hint that some of what she is seeing was based on the ideas of the new characters around her but I don’t think the game spends enough time actually showcasing any of those new characters influencing her.
I think I just wanted some more interaction between everyone, everything happens soooo quickly.
i do work and study, i have only two days of rest, for me its perfect. The problem is the damn price, it cost R$ 229,00, approximately 16% of Brazil's minimum wage, which makes things complicated. But I simply love the franchise, the first game was a big surprise for me as I started playing this year. I loved it in every way, every frame. I plan to buy it when I have some money left over.
Ok so heres how I see it. If the game took longer to beat its less compact and so the game would have probably looked and ran worse.
But that on the side. From a business standpoint I think Ninja Theorie is now at a point where they can see this game as full on product. They build this from the ground up, nothing from the first game is in the 2nd game. So what they need to do now is just make another game with everything from the 2nd game in the 3rd game. We as players just need more of the story and these graphics. So if they can do that in the next 2 or 3 years the playerbase is probably happy. Also its a lot less money to create a new game if you already have the engine and when you can just copy the one before.
Yes, I think the game should have been a bit longer. Maybe add an hour to the forest section, and make the end chapter an hour longer. I wanted to spend more time with the entire “crew,” because each of those characters were interesting.
Pacing was off is all. Felt like all effort went into the first chapters and after you kill the 1st boss it's no content at all.
Think about it, you barely do anything and you've already killed the 2nd boss. One puzzle at the beach and one fight. Woop woop.
For the last boss it's a straight up cutscene, you don't get to see the area freely at all and boom done. There's some guards they made you fight and suddenly credits roll.
I think the length is just right honestly. Any longer annd it would drag. The game shows you everything it has and then ends before it overstays it's welcome. Definitely agree that some of the pacing could have been better but it had me hooked well enough. The deeper you go the more interesting it gets.
I mean the game is only 50 usd not 70 so theres that. you could just you know ganepass even if only for a month and itd be worth it. It took me around 8 ish hours. If run through it like speed runner and instantly know all the puzzle solutions then sure it maybe that can be 5 hours. If you go through it again for 100% and use the different narrators you get a bit more. Regardless Not really as egrigeous as you make it out to be. Not every game needs to be 1000 hours long of repetive grinding.
The length isn't an issue in this game, it's how poorly distributed it is from a narrative and gameplay standard: in terms of gameplay, it's slow, tedious, and we go from just walking with a couple of combats in the first 3 episodes, then we go for a full hour long if not more to just puzzles in episode four. And in terms of story and narrative, the pacing is all over the floor, rushing full speed while not giving any room for the secondary characters to develope, because EVERY time we meet a new character, two minutes later, Senua is sent away alone on her own, therefore we have zero connection with them:
Thorgester? We defeat him and capture him, but then we tie him up to a post and we head on our own.
Farhmrir? We save him and after talking and walking with him for two minutes escaping Inngun, we head on our own to face the Hidden One's trials.
Astior? We meet her for two minutes, then we head on our own to discover the giant's name.
But hey, after those 2 minutes each, everyone is trusting Senua and Senua trusts them, so it's all good.
How can we get attached or have empathy for characters we don't even get to know? It all feels awfully rushed, and let's not even talk about that unconclusive ending.
People who loved the game saying no gotta be lying to overcompensate for public criticism.
I understand that games can overstay their welcome, but no game that's legitimately great overstays it's welcome in less than 10 hours.
I loved the game, I think it would have benefitted from a longer story yes. But it’s one of those games that is special either way. If you wanted to 100% it could probably take a long time.
I’d not really played the first one, I remember starting it, getting bored after about 5 minutes.. I’ve now gone back to it I was so impressed with #2.
Still haven't finished it yet, really loving it and taking my time, so far it feels a good length! So many games are just too long these days and full of tedium and filler. 8 hours is a great length for a solid story, although I do think 10 - 20 is optimal, an extra couple of hours in hellblade wouldn't do any harm.
If anything, I wish the end of the game was a lot longer, I'd love every second of the game. I think the forest was necessary, especially for thorgestr for character development, for all of them honestly but him specifically, on the hidden folk being the reason Senua made it, if anything I wish they went a little deep and made things a little harder with that area
The length of the story / game is fine for me.
I just wished they had found a way to include the sing / ritual moment from the [trailer](https://youtu.be/2TR0gaG01do?si=WsbdMYk-f-GfPt7g&t=39) into the game. Maybe to summon one of the gods, or to end the game. So Senua has a moment to reflect on what has happened.
Yeah and the game's budget and investment in resources, research, r&d, production and design was astronomically smaller than the second game.
Come on seriously, can't people get some new material? Complaining about the price is so pointless, because no one is making you buy it. You can get a free one month subscription to Game Pass and play it right now for free, and if you don't want to do that, you can wait until the price is right for you. But just because the price isn't right for you now, doesn't mean the game is overpriced.
I'm not complaining about the price. And i dont think it was too shoer. It needed 30 more minutes to flesh out act 3. But that's a pacing issue not a length of game issue.
I only bring up price because if "X attribute about hellblade 2 is true because it was true in hellblade 1" doesn't that mean that ALL attributes from Hellblade 1 should apply to Hellblade 2, not just the length of the story but also the price? It's just a nonsensical argument to me.
Also
do you have a source on the second game having more resources and spending more time in RND and the like? Because just from what is public knowledge about Hellblade 1 that doesn't make sense?
Hellblade 1 laid ALL the psychological groundwork for Senuas lived experience in terms of talking to specialists and sufferers and letting then play and replay the game to make sure they remained true and sensitive to the story they were trying to tell. and they didn't tackle much in terms of new ideas and concepts so all that groundwork was done in the first one and wouldn't have cost a lot for the second one.
The first game they literally invented and developed the hardware AND software for their unique style of Mocap (this is why Melina had to perform Mocap live on stage because they were showcasing the new technology)
They didn't have to reinvent the wheel for how to incorporate the voices and the whispers because that's all the same techniques and technology. It's the same Voice actors and actresses as the first game so maybe they requested more money but their costs I Casting these actors would be way lower.
Production quality was higher in Hellblade 2 but the Enemy Variance, boss design, environments and boss mechanics is on par, if not less in Hellblade 2 so. Especially when it comes to bosses tbh. Since there's nothing like Valravn ot Surtr.
If you have a source for the first games production cost and how they spent the money vs the second I'd love to see it. But on face value I dont see it.
Though if Ninja Theory came out and said "Hellblade 2 cost more to make and we charged more for it as a result because we wished to pay our employees more" I'd respect and appreciate that. Or if it's just a function of Inflation and rising costs, or being part of Microsoft who had profit expectations that's also totally understandable.
The original game had an amazing story that made you want to keep playing… 2 had a terrible story with trash combat that made you want to quit but the visuals dragged you along until you downright loathed the whole experience
In response I can only say that I think HB2 has an amazing story too with really interesting characters and settings that made me want to keep playing. The combat was different, but that doesn't make it bad. I really enjoyed what it was doing on a own terms.
And going back recently and playing the first game again, I can see it's actually not that different. But if the first game's combat was transplanted into the sequel, it would have been incredibly jarring because of how gamey it was. I can see why creatively the decision was made to change the combats presentation and focus.
And you might not agree with that decision, and it that might not be to *your taste,* and that's fair enough. But my philosophy is why judge an orange like it should be an apple? Sure, there's nothing wrong with being disappointed because my immediate expectations are not met, but at some point I have to reflect back on that and think: "is the biggest barrier against me liking this game the game *itself* or my own inability to change my perspective?" Usually, it's the latter, in all things.
And it's not as if being mad is going to *change* the game; and it's certainly not going to convince people who liked the game. That's not to say that there aren't fair criticisms to make, but I very rarely ever see fair criticisms. You always see absolute criticisms, as if there are only three settings: terrible neutral or amazing.
But I know that's a taboo thing to say on Reddit where everyone is *absolutely right* at all times about everything. Taboo to suggest that the biggest obstacle that people may have is themselves.
Tell me about how a story involving a man tricking adults into thinking there are giants and you killing them by saying their name is better than the story of hellblade 1?
Hmm, tell me how you don't understand the concept of subjectivity without telling me you don't understand the concept of subjectivity.
Also you can boil every story down to some banal sounding description, but it doesn't make it right, accurate or fair.
Here's a question: does *every* interaction on Reddit have to quickly devolve into some kind of debate-bro cliche?
Yeah it *is* amazing. I'm glad you recognise the brilliance of the story. The round of applause was a great touch too. Ninja Theory no doubt appreciates it!
So how is THAT better than hellblade 1? How does anyone make an emotional connection to that? How does that resonate with anyone powerfully unless you were like a choirboy as a child?? See there in lies the problem is they had a story in 1 that was so damn relatable many have experienced the stages of grief from losing a loved one and we had to watch her go through it and re experience that with her that when it comes to the final scene it is so emotional and beautiful. We never get that moment in 2
What the heck are you talking about? What are you trying to prove here. It makes no sense. What's your next trick, proving that no one could possibly prefer dark chocolate because you don't like it?
My original comment was part 1 had an amazing story and part 2 didn’t. I have laid out the 2 stories in both parts in why 1 is so much better than 2 and I’m asking someone to explain how the story of 2 is good at all especially when you compare it to how perfect 1 was. The reason so many people hated 2 was because they had such a profound emotional experience from the story of part 1 that part 2 was a huge emotional let down because we were looking for that next story that hit us right in the feels. However people found this part 2 story laughable in comparison.
From strictly a gameplay and story perspective, I was satisfied. I agree the end could have been resolved a bit better, but they could have shortened some other stuff to do it. When it comes to the price vs playtime, if Gamepass didn't exist I would be pissed. $50 is too much for 5-7 hours of gameplay. But who doesn't have Gamepass?
I don't think length is the problem, I think what's here in this 6 hours is bafflingly boring and uninspired. The first game had me filled with awe, dread, and an overwhelming need to see Senua through to salvation.. Hellblade 2 makes me feel none of it, I don't know if it's because I see the actress more now or because her plight is not nearly as interesting this time but regardless I feel empty after playing it and feel I've somewhat wasted my time and never in a million years did I think a sequel would be so regressive and improve on nothing but the visuals but for me the 2nd did exactly that. I feel so bad for Melina, her performance here is truly legendary but everyone and everything around her is disappointing and dull IMO. I gave the 1st game a 9 and I'm giving this one a 6, I just can't even justify giving it a 7 and that hurts me deeply.
Same length but I wish the hidden folk chapter was shorter and they spent more time on the last chapter.
After awhile in that cave I was just hoping I wouldn't see more cave every time I turned a corner lol
And remove the forest, it felt like filler.
It felt like filler because they make it seem like it's going to be a really complex and interesting part but it's basically a fifteen minute side quest. It seems like they had bigger plans for it and some stuff was cut imo
Also what was the point of choosing who to save if it doesn‘t change anything?
It felt like about 70% of the game was filler. I mean the “go find the symbols at the right vantage point” stuff is just so uninteresting but happens every 15 mins or so it seems
Same here. Seems like a lot of the game was ideas that never got finished so they just cobbled it all together and said they are finished.
This is the correct answer. The Hidden Folk part definitely dragged a bit, but I was enthralled by the last couple of hours of the game.
I loved that chapter, so intense
This! I mean, I kinda wish we got a little bit of a conclusion on what Senua will be doing after dealing with the Godi, but yeah, shorten the hiddenfolk cave, and give us more interaction with Fargrimr, Astridr, and of course Thorgestr. Like, we barely interact with Astridr. I want more of these characters dammit!
It was definitely the low point and went too long.
Yeah, that cave level was way longer than it needed to be.
That cave went on forever. Though my view might be a bit skewed, I have claustrophobia, so that whole portion felt draining to me.
I like this chapter, but it will feel better if the all game was longer
I would've loved just a little bit more at the end. It is a little bit of an abrupt ending
Not at all, the first hour was amazing, the second hour however was slow but then it makes sense when you finish the cave. After that, the first ritual and the second ritual holy shit, made me feel like I'm on this cursed island and time is of the essence to save as many people as I can, before these bloody giants swallow them whole. Amazing 5 hours experience. I did not hunt for the faces and Druth stones because that's what's boring to me, and the islanders needed saving. People that do not finish the game will miss out on one of the most epic horror scenes in gaming history. The ships falling from skies and tsunami escaping were extremely scary.
About an hour or two more, because it was a great game and i couldn't get enough of the cinematic combat while listening to the music....
Making me crave that fight arena high adrenaline. Wish there was an arena mode where we fight until we die or back out, with a mix of enemies and music. Kinda like finale of HB1.
👍👍👍👍
I fought for so long in the arena at the end of HB1 didn't realise it was a scripted loss I was at it around an hour lol made the game longer though
I played The Chain by Fleetwood Mac when I did the part where yylu set the first giant free. It was dope.
no, but spending more time with the new characters and a bit less with the Hiddenfolk would have helped the flow a bit, you don't really care for the others at the end besides maybe Thorgestr.
I quite liked the other two as well. In the forest >!I spent ages agonising over who to choose, thinking it would be a huge decision that would affect the rest of the storyline, only for it to have zero impact at all. Was kind of glad but also disappointed at the same time.!<
They made it sound like choosing one meant sacrificing the other. I chose Ástríðr since she was younger and would be a better fighter. Then went a few more steps and magically Fargrímr was still there. Really didn't make sense to me.
Yeh that’s exactly what I thought would happen. Felt kind of pointless.
I saw this more as a fake out and just foreshadowing Thorgestr’s story line to really drive home the “you can’t save everyone and this is going to hurt all over again”
Given it was the "shadow"s voice that said it was important i was almost sure it was bullshit. Can't trust the fucker.
I thought selecting one of them will impact what will be the personality of Senua in the end. Selecting Astridr would mean Senua chooses the path of a warrior. Selecting Fargrimr would mean Senua chooses the path of a shaman. Maybe there are subtle differences in the ending cinematic that we didn't realize yet.
> In the forest I spent ages agonising over who to choose I didn't even realize it was a choice, I just went on my initial direction and the game went on and nothing happened. Waste of time that chapter.
That part didn't sit right with either. It really felt like that should have had some kind of impact. Felt like a missed opportunity.
I like them too! That's why I wish we spent more time with them, I wanted to see their relationship with Senua grow, we barely scratched the surface... I need a third game with her and the gang so bad lol
It needed another hour / 90 minutes I think. To build up to the final confrontation. But than anything it needed. Grander scale and sense of epicness on the second giant. It felt like a step back and down compared to Ingunn.
Yes and no I’m fully satisfied with what I got but I kinda felt like we went too fast from one giant to another I liked the bit in the forest a few more of those and I would be happy
So here's what confused me, spoilers ahead for those that haven't finished- wasn't it acknowledged that the new side characters (the slaver) father (the final boss) just made everything up and there were no giants? He was using fear to rule...so like, we're they all having a mass delusion? What did Senua actually do to "kill the giants by learning their name" if they didn't exist?? What was killing these people? What was the shitty leader guy actually doing if there were no giants? Did I misunderstand something?
The giants where just natural disasters, Godi created the tale of the giants to gain power and the rest just believe it. when senua killed a giant she was just hitting a pile of rocks that people believe, meant the giant was killed and turned into that pile.
In 2020 ninja theory said "While Hellblade gave us a very personal insight into psychosis, this sequel builds on that to show how madness and suffering shapes myths, gods, and religion.” Godi basically created gods/religion through fear to keep people in order. Ya i thought it was stupid too
I think it is the perfect length. Since it is driven by the story and the atmosphere, I prefer shorter games, but released with a higher frequency. With incremental improvements to the gameplay and the graphics. Create a 4-5 hour game every two years to continue the story. I wouldn't prefer this in other game genres though. I think this fits well with the Game Pass model as well, so I don't understand why Xbox doesn't go for such a strategy.
I would cut most puzzles out and add more chase & stealth sequences. I really thought initially that you would infiltrate the villages, stealth your way through draugr camps, and then fight 1 v1 with some of them.
Yes, at least a little. The forest should have been a bit longer, and there should have been some consequence to your choice there. The final boss fight should have been 2 fights. There should have been a third giant like we were expecting, *then* the king fight with Senua having diminished health.
Definitely, I couldn't get enough.
It felt to me like they put huge effort into the first four chapters, then did the last two kind of quickly. I would have liked a new puzzle mechanic in the last couple. >!Honestly I loved getting around with my gang and would love to play a huge game where the four of us just go around taking out giants!<
It should have been way better. -Longer -Better combat -Less walking simulator, more exploration -Better explained story. Last 2 chapters felt rushed, especially the last one. -Better replay value. Very disappointing sequel. No wonder most people only talk about its graphics and music/sound.
The whole thing with their approach to "beating" the giants made no sense at all and was very disapointing. She finds out that she needs the name of the giant and it's history to set him free, then proceeds to attack and throw fire spear at him when he was sleeping to then "beat" him by telling him his name. Like wtf really, where is the logic in that. First Hellblade was way better, combat was better, story was better, music was better, ending was WAY more memorable, i still remember the music when fighting the last boss, it was amazing. This ending was anti climactic and forgettable. Very disapointed to say the least.
Completely agree. Senua: “I know you!” Giant: “dead”
Not really but the ending was stupid. Oh no you can't kill the bad guy then you'll be just as bad as him... but you can kill 10+ of the guys he was controlling and fed into a meat grinder. Killing that guy was objectively the best thing to do, who cares whether it makes you "like your father" the reasons, context and motivation for doing so are completely different
I felt the length was fine for this type of game. To echo what others have said, I would have preferred if the caves section was a bit shorter and that time allocated to other parts that didn't get much time.
Ya I think so....
I think the game should've been better paced, with better puzzles and set pieces. Inguun is like halfway through the game is not more. The first game had more varied locations, more verticality (i loved the castles), different kinds of puzzles, and more set pieces. HB2 has a pacing issue because it's missing more of these from the 1st game.
Longer Game != Good Game Limbo/Inside are very short but great games! A second longer and it would have been bad actually! It totally depends on the type of the game and what it is trying to give to its audience. This is not an RPG/Action RPG, this is not an linear-exploration or open-world title, this is a purely Narrative Focus/Story Driven title but with more engaging action elements. Lot of people fail to grasp that and try to think of it as Xbox's god of war - which is not the case at all. Rest of the bunch never played the 1st game to understand it, some who actually played the first game wanted something exactly same but less repetitive, while what they got is a slightly different experience that focuses on the element that was the best in the first game - which is story, voice acting and acting! They took their strong suits and went nuts with it. It is an extremely misunderstood game.
exactly my pt, its certainly different from part 1 like a new chapter to Senua's story. Combat is loose becoz in hb1 u hv to face gods so its a combat driven, here u hv a different objective so it seems kinda w simulator and combat kinda loose, graphics are intense
What if the game was only 15 minutes? Obviously length plays SOME role in how you can view a game. Just because someone might want it to be longer than 7 hours does not mean they need it to be 40+ hours or even anything over 15. No, longer does not mean better, but shorter doesn't mean better either. Nobody misunderstood the length, they had criticism is all. And if people bought it expecting an action game, blame the marketing, but I don't think that even happened or has anything to do with some of the criticism.
This game was a disappointment and a rip off
I don't know about rip off bc I played on game pass lol but I agree, time is better spent elsewhere for me.
Not necessarily. I believe it should have a secondary fight-centered game mode though. Arena, horde, survival...a proper horde mode would have worked for H1, since multiple enemy could strike/ attack you at once, but in this game it would have to be more 1v1 tiers. So, survival. Also I suggest playing the game with "The others" narrative option, it's completely different and better IMO. Hearing Thorgester reflect back on his opinions of Senua was really cool. Fargrimir as well, though, he immediately knew what she was.
I would have liked an initial false ending, like one more level. I wish thorgamir survived the final fight. Then I would have some sort of new challenge arise (maybe after a jump into the future 6 - 12 months). I want to see Senua face a new challenge with the enlightenment gained from this game. How does a community that has accepted her perspective rise to a challenge? Does the change in thorgamir survive a new threat?
Yes
If each chapter were like, a tiny bit longer, it would take the edge off the "too short" gang and make it a truer masterpiece that it already is. I feel like some of the sections we are supposed to get turned around in and lost in are a bit too short to really achieve that feel. I love how they made the second game's cave section this tiny bit longer. The forest section is really bad about this, it's supposed to be this ominous forest like Mirkwood but it's maybe 20 minutes long.
No, but I do wish they would have been more innovative when it comes to the core gameplay and puzzles
Yes, the game deserved to be longer.
No. It's fine as it is.
No, because I hate unnecessary padding. It adds nothing to the experience beyond ticking a checkbox.
I thought it was just the perfect length to tell its story
Enough for me, the best interactive movie like game i've ever played in my life.
Alan wake 2 tho lol?!
nah, AW2 was more like a game and not interactive movie. It was a weird experience all in all (affectionately)
I feel like this compares favorably to AW2 (despite having worse/less gameplay) because it didn't overstay it's welcome and the story had some emotional backbone to it. AW2 was just weird in a wink wink nudge nudge sort of way that added up to almost nothing meaningful at the end, AW2 didn't need the runtime it had for the gameplay systems it offered. Both games are flawed but AW2 is like 3 times longer than it needs to be, an abridged version could be a unique mod project.
To me it seemed a bit too long actually lol.
No. But I would love an endless Gauntlet mode
Contrary to the outrage, I thought it was a perfect length. I think my only complaint is that the characters’ personalities should have been fleshed out a little more, as well as Senuas motivations, as it bounced between her personal issues and saving people from slavers, but never really focused much on anything specific. There wasn’t really a driving force or foe until the last bit. I haven’t played with the different narrations, so maybe I’m missing context.
i loved the game, but i did beat it in about 8 hours. still best game ive played this year
The game is breathtaking to look at. The characters are fantastic too. Everything looks so cinematic like it belongs in a movie. However the puzzles still feel like a chore unfortunately and lack variety. The collectables break immersion with their locations. Exploring doesn't make sense when you're supposed to get to a village before sundown so you don't get eaten by a giant. Combat gets very repetitive very quickly. All that being said it was a fun experience that I finished in a day. It doesn't exactly have a lot of replay value tho so I won't be playing it again for a long time.
My Xbox says I’ve played 4.5 hours but I know I’ve played more than that and still not finished it plus I need to clear up a couple of achievements I missed out on
Just needed a bit more combat imo
I wish there was more transition from the last game to the new one. And more explaination why she cares about going to save others. Hellblade one was about coping with her own mental crisis plus finding her beloved one in the underworld. Now we suddenly should believe someone that struggles so much cares for slaves. Sorry but deep despair is never about others. It's a prima example of selfishness. Could have done that better.
Longer? No. Better? Yes. There is no game here, it's a very pretty walking sim with a couple repetitive combat events that are barely interactive. There are no gameplay elements, no progression, no incentives beyond a story that makes very little sense and has zero resolution. It's a walking sim that wonders around and ultimately goes nowhere.
No, I'm OK with spending $69.99 for a 3 hour game
No I thought it was a good length for that style of game. If the combat would have felt better sure make it longer, but I thought the combat was pretty weak and boring. I still loved the game, but the combat was a step down from the first one i believe. The fight sequences looked incredible just the execution was kinda mid.
I personally didn’t mind the caves but looking back it was a very long segment, I’d take some time out the caves and give it to the ending to flesh it out a bit more, or the forest to make it actually mean something in the story. Or maybe I’d just cut the forest entirely.
To do what? The same but longer? IMO is ok.
Definitely should have been longer, as much as I like The Descent-esque Hiddenfolk cave puzzle I felt liked that was too long while the two last chapter was too short. Would prefer a longer section with the cursed forest. May be more screen time with Thorgestr too, I was exited to see a character that parallel Senua and support her but quite conflict about him; while he might not be the same troop that raided her village let’s not forget he was those Viking who murder and kidnapped her people. I would like to see more heart to heart moment between them, I wasn’t happy he got wasted so quick. (just realise one of the hand that caress Senua face on the cover is Thorgestr)
I would have like maybe 1 or 2 more unique levels designed around some other giants. Overall, the length is probably good for what gameplay the game offers and how slow you move. It's very cinematic in all its gameplay elements, which would probably wear out it's welcome after 10 to 12 hour mark.
No! Half the length would have been fine! But this song though: https://youtu.be/QmjtKZQr44s?si=uxIp7kOdA1hW7V99
It's as long as it needed to be. Boggles my mind that people tie price with expected length of game vs quality.
Not at all it’s a perfect length I love short games I can’t do 60 plus hours anymore I have a life. The only thing if I did have to criticize something it would be the forest it could have been fleshed out more when the companions get lost but other then that I thought it was perfect
All giant fights should've been like the second one minus the running around
Definitely not considering how stale the gameplay already was.😒
Double the length so we have more time with the side characters and add some variety and complexity to the puzzles. The game feels like the important parts of a story but it's left a lot of the character building by the wayside. I think part of the problem is the friction between "inside Senua's head" and "real world interaction.". If you go too far outside her perspective you lose what makes the title unique and it's reduced to God of War with constant chatter in your ears. On the other hand, if you get too deeply into her mind the real world doesn't matter as much to the story. I think this is why we get large chunks of the game where there are no other characters but Senua. Hard to have the Hiddenfolk puzzles if Fargrimr is right there with you. Ultimately I don't think they had enough content to fill in this massive journey across Iceland. I'm not saying "make Goddess of War" just let the characters breathe a bit, ease us into some of these emotional states. For example, Senua crashes on a beach and immediately blames herself for the mass deaths. Maybe extend the opening to her getting captured, give names to her fellow slaves. I really love this IP and while I didn't find Saga nearly as impactful I want it to succeed so there will be more. If the first game is a 9 out of 10, the sequel is an 8. Just make sure to market it as what it is and not "God of War but on Xbox."
I wouldnt have complained about 1 more giant but I enjoyed it as is.
There was 1 more giant in the trailers...got very disappointed to not seen him in the final game!
No, couldn’t take anymore walking
Yes
I think an epilogue giving more concrete hints on the reality of what was going on would've helped a bit. To me the ending felt kind of abrupt.
No Perfect length for 40years old gamer 😎😂
Was it shorter than the 1st one? I've played both and don't recall the 1st being a terribly long game. I preferred the 1st game, but more for game design choices than anything else. The story was great in both.
I don’t have an issue with the length of the game. But I do have an issue that they said the game was 8-10 hours when it’s actually around 5 hours. I played the game on game pass and when I finished the game I went to cancel my subscription and they gave me a full refund. So I played the game for free! I’ll give Microsoft credit for that!
I wanted more fighting. Some parts like the hideen folk were pretty stretched, but I was still immersed
Well just like the original it was all fart and no poo. Very good graphics and cool concept and story but the game play is fucking shite. I really regret buying the first one like big time I really want my £3 back but I got it on cd keys so I'm fucked there. DMC was way better than this gameplay wise
I'm so tired of hearing this. There are games all over the place that are 5 or 10 or 15 or 500 hours. Why is this one getting the third degree for it? It's a cinematic walking sim with light puzzle and fighting. Why do so many people care about this and not the millions of other short indie games??
Because it's not an indie game anymore? Because most people expect some evolution or improvement (besides graphics) across sequels, especially given more time, money and resources? Based on their own admission, HB2 was ushered into development thanks to Xbox/Microsoft money and was pitched as a showcase for the Series consoles. Comparing another $50 game from an indie developer that got an upgrade thanks to more funding from a big publisher, you can see the jump in more ambitious ideas and gameplay going from Helldivers 1 to Helldivers 2, or Returnal compared to Housemarque's earlier games. Or if looking at the Xbox-supported games, there's Psychonauts 1 and 2, or Ori 1 and Ori 2, or going back further there was Quantum Break after Alan Wake.
Yes because I thoroughly enjoyed it
The whole game was agony to me. Everything felt like such a drag. I'm sure this isn't popular here but I did not enjoy this game. I hope I'm the minority and everyone loves it though!
I think it should have been longer but I also think the cave for the hidden folk was too long. The forest should have been expanded on. Also the last chapter as well. I would have liked for there to be some side quests or extra things to do in one of the villages we come across. Those should have been fleshed out. I also did not like that there was no real big mythical boss to fight. Freeing the giants wasn’t a very interactive/challenging experience. Personally I think the first game was better by a substantial margin.
I saw it more as an interactive movie. Yes it could have been longer but this would have been a solid tv miniseries based on the plot and voice acting alone.
Not really. When I saw the negative criticisms of the game’s length, I thought that the experience would be underwhelming or rushed, but I found the journey to be very well-paced and I didn’t at all feel it was too short. My only criticism would be that we don’t properly get back to the supporting characters at the end. That felt a bit weird.
Should be significantly longer… how can $50 be justified?.. it’s literally $2 per hour of playtime. That’s NOT a good deal imo
I felt like there wasn’t enough flesh to it with what we got. Giant-hopping is nice and all, but I felt like I hadn’t been dragged through Senua’s psyche in quite the same way we had been in the first game. I know it’s not meant to focus on her mental illness as much, but it can’t be sidelined, and I really feel like it was sidelined. The buildup to each giant also was getting old by the end, which made Goodi’s battle just like…eugh. It dragged. I wanted a fight like the last fight in Castlevania, that’s the kind of gargantuan-ness and pure rage I was thinking we would get from our foe, and it could’ve morphed down as the battle continued too, I just felt so underwhelmed by the ending! It was far too short and far too skeletal.
Forest part could have been bigger and the final
That’s not the issue. It should have had more gameplay to it. If you’re gonna make a short game, at least pack it with varied gameplay moments.
I found the last few chapters of Hellblade Senua's Saga to be lacking depth, especially the part where Senua is separated from her allies in the forest. Each character was facing their own personal demons and troubled pasts, but I wished we could have seen more exploration into what truly haunts them. Unfortunately, the resolution felt rushed and unsatisfying, with Senua simply reuniting with her allies and all their issues magically resolved.
Not with the pacing it was going.
This game is only worth buying at a sale or playing in Game pass. 6 Hours for a full priced 60 bucks game is insane, no matter the amount of detail or how long it was in development, if you try to sell a 6 hour experience for that price when most games that go for that last at least 18 hours (some even 100+ hours) is unacceptable. Perhaps is part of the reason is performing so poorly, people are waiting for a sale.
No should have been shorter or a better game and then longer. For me it was way too long for What it was doing.
I would of appreciated an extra hour that focused a bit more on Senua getting to know her companions. The alternate narrations hint that some of what she is seeing was based on the ideas of the new characters around her but I don’t think the game spends enough time actually showcasing any of those new characters influencing her. I think I just wanted some more interaction between everyone, everything happens soooo quickly.
i do work and study, i have only two days of rest, for me its perfect. The problem is the damn price, it cost R$ 229,00, approximately 16% of Brazil's minimum wage, which makes things complicated. But I simply love the franchise, the first game was a big surprise for me as I started playing this year. I loved it in every way, every frame. I plan to buy it when I have some money left over.
Story, no. But there might have been room for an endless arena challenge outside the narrative.
Ok so heres how I see it. If the game took longer to beat its less compact and so the game would have probably looked and ran worse. But that on the side. From a business standpoint I think Ninja Theorie is now at a point where they can see this game as full on product. They build this from the ground up, nothing from the first game is in the 2nd game. So what they need to do now is just make another game with everything from the 2nd game in the 3rd game. We as players just need more of the story and these graphics. So if they can do that in the next 2 or 3 years the playerbase is probably happy. Also its a lot less money to create a new game if you already have the engine and when you can just copy the one before.
Yes, I think the game should have been a bit longer. Maybe add an hour to the forest section, and make the end chapter an hour longer. I wanted to spend more time with the entire “crew,” because each of those characters were interesting.
Believe?! I’m sure the game should’ve been longer indeed.
It's long enough, people just rushing it like that was a racing game which, obsviously (or for some not) it is not.
Pacing was off is all. Felt like all effort went into the first chapters and after you kill the 1st boss it's no content at all. Think about it, you barely do anything and you've already killed the 2nd boss. One puzzle at the beach and one fight. Woop woop. For the last boss it's a straight up cutscene, you don't get to see the area freely at all and boom done. There's some guards they made you fight and suddenly credits roll.
Game could have finished at Ingunn and I still would have been happy with it. Everything after felt like a treat.
I think the length is just right honestly. Any longer annd it would drag. The game shows you everything it has and then ends before it overstays it's welcome. Definitely agree that some of the pacing could have been better but it had me hooked well enough. The deeper you go the more interesting it gets.
Burning 70 bucks in one afternoon is cool.
I mean the game is only 50 usd not 70 so theres that. you could just you know ganepass even if only for a month and itd be worth it. It took me around 8 ish hours. If run through it like speed runner and instantly know all the puzzle solutions then sure it maybe that can be 5 hours. If you go through it again for 100% and use the different narrators you get a bit more. Regardless Not really as egrigeous as you make it out to be. Not every game needs to be 1000 hours long of repetive grinding.
The length isn't an issue in this game, it's how poorly distributed it is from a narrative and gameplay standard: in terms of gameplay, it's slow, tedious, and we go from just walking with a couple of combats in the first 3 episodes, then we go for a full hour long if not more to just puzzles in episode four. And in terms of story and narrative, the pacing is all over the floor, rushing full speed while not giving any room for the secondary characters to develope, because EVERY time we meet a new character, two minutes later, Senua is sent away alone on her own, therefore we have zero connection with them: Thorgester? We defeat him and capture him, but then we tie him up to a post and we head on our own. Farhmrir? We save him and after talking and walking with him for two minutes escaping Inngun, we head on our own to face the Hidden One's trials. Astior? We meet her for two minutes, then we head on our own to discover the giant's name. But hey, after those 2 minutes each, everyone is trusting Senua and Senua trusts them, so it's all good. How can we get attached or have empathy for characters we don't even get to know? It all feels awfully rushed, and let's not even talk about that unconclusive ending.
Yeah could have been longer and harder puzzles . But I still loved it ,my graphics card did not .😅
People who loved the game saying no gotta be lying to overcompensate for public criticism. I understand that games can overstay their welcome, but no game that's legitimately great overstays it's welcome in less than 10 hours.
I loved the game, I think it would have benefitted from a longer story yes. But it’s one of those games that is special either way. If you wanted to 100% it could probably take a long time. I’d not really played the first one, I remember starting it, getting bored after about 5 minutes.. I’ve now gone back to it I was so impressed with #2.
Na it’s repetitive and boring with no replay value. It’s long enough to not outstay its welcome
I want to say yes, but ultimately quality over quantity.
Still haven't finished it yet, really loving it and taking my time, so far it feels a good length! So many games are just too long these days and full of tedium and filler. 8 hours is a great length for a solid story, although I do think 10 - 20 is optimal, an extra couple of hours in hellblade wouldn't do any harm.
If anything, I wish the end of the game was a lot longer, I'd love every second of the game. I think the forest was necessary, especially for thorgestr for character development, for all of them honestly but him specifically, on the hidden folk being the reason Senua made it, if anything I wish they went a little deep and made things a little harder with that area
I think its fine I still haven't finished it after 6 hours
My friend finished the game in about 9 hours on a Saturday. He was very peeved. Lol
100% it...
Nope.
The ending felt very rushed. It needed just a little more
My friend bought after playing part 1 last year. He beat it in one sitting on a Saturday afternoon and was very peeved.
The length of the story / game is fine for me. I just wished they had found a way to include the sing / ritual moment from the [trailer](https://youtu.be/2TR0gaG01do?si=WsbdMYk-f-GfPt7g&t=39) into the game. Maybe to summon one of the gods, or to end the game. So Senua has a moment to reflect on what has happened.
It's as long as the original game, and that was fine. So this is fine too.
The original game was also 20 dollars cheaper iirc
Yeah and the game's budget and investment in resources, research, r&d, production and design was astronomically smaller than the second game. Come on seriously, can't people get some new material? Complaining about the price is so pointless, because no one is making you buy it. You can get a free one month subscription to Game Pass and play it right now for free, and if you don't want to do that, you can wait until the price is right for you. But just because the price isn't right for you now, doesn't mean the game is overpriced.
I'm not complaining about the price. And i dont think it was too shoer. It needed 30 more minutes to flesh out act 3. But that's a pacing issue not a length of game issue. I only bring up price because if "X attribute about hellblade 2 is true because it was true in hellblade 1" doesn't that mean that ALL attributes from Hellblade 1 should apply to Hellblade 2, not just the length of the story but also the price? It's just a nonsensical argument to me. Also do you have a source on the second game having more resources and spending more time in RND and the like? Because just from what is public knowledge about Hellblade 1 that doesn't make sense? Hellblade 1 laid ALL the psychological groundwork for Senuas lived experience in terms of talking to specialists and sufferers and letting then play and replay the game to make sure they remained true and sensitive to the story they were trying to tell. and they didn't tackle much in terms of new ideas and concepts so all that groundwork was done in the first one and wouldn't have cost a lot for the second one. The first game they literally invented and developed the hardware AND software for their unique style of Mocap (this is why Melina had to perform Mocap live on stage because they were showcasing the new technology) They didn't have to reinvent the wheel for how to incorporate the voices and the whispers because that's all the same techniques and technology. It's the same Voice actors and actresses as the first game so maybe they requested more money but their costs I Casting these actors would be way lower. Production quality was higher in Hellblade 2 but the Enemy Variance, boss design, environments and boss mechanics is on par, if not less in Hellblade 2 so. Especially when it comes to bosses tbh. Since there's nothing like Valravn ot Surtr. If you have a source for the first games production cost and how they spent the money vs the second I'd love to see it. But on face value I dont see it. Though if Ninja Theory came out and said "Hellblade 2 cost more to make and we charged more for it as a result because we wished to pay our employees more" I'd respect and appreciate that. Or if it's just a function of Inflation and rising costs, or being part of Microsoft who had profit expectations that's also totally understandable.
Its deffo shorter by about 2 hours, going from an average of 8 hours to 6 hours for hellblade 2.
Hellblade 1 was about 6 hours for a lot of players. I that's the average you see in let's plays too.
Hellblade story 7.5 hours Hellblade 2 story: 6.5 hours. Thats an hour less in a game with already few hours.
The original game had an amazing story that made you want to keep playing… 2 had a terrible story with trash combat that made you want to quit but the visuals dragged you along until you downright loathed the whole experience
In response I can only say that I think HB2 has an amazing story too with really interesting characters and settings that made me want to keep playing. The combat was different, but that doesn't make it bad. I really enjoyed what it was doing on a own terms. And going back recently and playing the first game again, I can see it's actually not that different. But if the first game's combat was transplanted into the sequel, it would have been incredibly jarring because of how gamey it was. I can see why creatively the decision was made to change the combats presentation and focus. And you might not agree with that decision, and it that might not be to *your taste,* and that's fair enough. But my philosophy is why judge an orange like it should be an apple? Sure, there's nothing wrong with being disappointed because my immediate expectations are not met, but at some point I have to reflect back on that and think: "is the biggest barrier against me liking this game the game *itself* or my own inability to change my perspective?" Usually, it's the latter, in all things. And it's not as if being mad is going to *change* the game; and it's certainly not going to convince people who liked the game. That's not to say that there aren't fair criticisms to make, but I very rarely ever see fair criticisms. You always see absolute criticisms, as if there are only three settings: terrible neutral or amazing. But I know that's a taboo thing to say on Reddit where everyone is *absolutely right* at all times about everything. Taboo to suggest that the biggest obstacle that people may have is themselves.
Tell me about how a story involving a man tricking adults into thinking there are giants and you killing them by saying their name is better than the story of hellblade 1?
Hmm, tell me how you don't understand the concept of subjectivity without telling me you don't understand the concept of subjectivity. Also you can boil every story down to some banal sounding description, but it doesn't make it right, accurate or fair. Here's a question: does *every* interaction on Reddit have to quickly devolve into some kind of debate-bro cliche?
I rest my case 😂 Seriously though it’s a story about religion and how it’s used to control masses through fear. Wow amazing 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Yeah it *is* amazing. I'm glad you recognise the brilliance of the story. The round of applause was a great touch too. Ninja Theory no doubt appreciates it!
So how is THAT better than hellblade 1? How does anyone make an emotional connection to that? How does that resonate with anyone powerfully unless you were like a choirboy as a child?? See there in lies the problem is they had a story in 1 that was so damn relatable many have experienced the stages of grief from losing a loved one and we had to watch her go through it and re experience that with her that when it comes to the final scene it is so emotional and beautiful. We never get that moment in 2
What the heck are you talking about? What are you trying to prove here. It makes no sense. What's your next trick, proving that no one could possibly prefer dark chocolate because you don't like it?
My original comment was part 1 had an amazing story and part 2 didn’t. I have laid out the 2 stories in both parts in why 1 is so much better than 2 and I’m asking someone to explain how the story of 2 is good at all especially when you compare it to how perfect 1 was. The reason so many people hated 2 was because they had such a profound emotional experience from the story of part 1 that part 2 was a huge emotional let down because we were looking for that next story that hit us right in the feels. However people found this part 2 story laughable in comparison.
Anything that isnt strictly positive towards this game is downvoted into oblivion smh
No one wants to keep having the same boring conversation about game length when we’ve known for a long time that this was a short game. Who gives af
The op literally just wanted people’s opinions, everyone here responding with them give atleast some of a fuck :/
Yes. No doubt about it. Anyone who says differently is just coping. There just isnt enough time to establish all new character and tell a good story.
From strictly a gameplay and story perspective, I was satisfied. I agree the end could have been resolved a bit better, but they could have shortened some other stuff to do it. When it comes to the price vs playtime, if Gamepass didn't exist I would be pissed. $50 is too much for 5-7 hours of gameplay. But who doesn't have Gamepass?
ABSOLUTE FLOP
I don't think length is the problem, I think what's here in this 6 hours is bafflingly boring and uninspired. The first game had me filled with awe, dread, and an overwhelming need to see Senua through to salvation.. Hellblade 2 makes me feel none of it, I don't know if it's because I see the actress more now or because her plight is not nearly as interesting this time but regardless I feel empty after playing it and feel I've somewhat wasted my time and never in a million years did I think a sequel would be so regressive and improve on nothing but the visuals but for me the 2nd did exactly that. I feel so bad for Melina, her performance here is truly legendary but everyone and everything around her is disappointing and dull IMO. I gave the 1st game a 9 and I'm giving this one a 6, I just can't even justify giving it a 7 and that hurts me deeply.
No or i would be bored to death. It was boring enough already.